John Clanton

JohnClantonI grew up in Corpus Christi and attended Menger Elementary, Wynn Seale Junior High School and Corpus Christi High School (now Miller High School). We lived about five blocks from where Ray High School was being built. It was not completed, so I had to hitch a ride across town and back every day.
In those days most of the prominent citizens were in the oil and gas business. In high school I had a friend whose father was Vice President of Chicago Corporation. The Chicago Corporation had production on the Agua Dulce Field and other fields in South Texas. We got to ride in the company plane when they flew to pick up executives or associates.
My mother had several relatives that were in the oil business. Her uncle was a landman in Houston. One of her cousins was a geologist and another was a petroleum engineer. Her aunt was married to a man that was an executive with Mene Grade Oil Company (a subsidiary of Gulf Oil), and they lived in Venezuela for twenty years. In view of this I was drawn to a career in the oil business. There appeared to be two avenues to achieve a career in the oil business. One was geology and the other was a petroleum engineer..
I received a course catalog from Texas A&M, and I found that I could get both degrees in five years. I did not know which was best, so I decided to take both! After graduation with the two degrees, I decided that I wanted to get a Masters. Half way through the Masters program in Petroleum Engineering, I decided that I really wanted to be a Geologist. I was too far along to change, so I attained my Masters in Petroleum Engineering.
After graduation I went to work for Stanolind Oil and Gas Company as a junior geologist in Lafayette, Louisiana for a year before I went into the Army as a Second Lieutenant in field artillery. After my tour of duty, I decided to return to Corpus Christi. I became associated with Lawrence Ethridge and RK Taylor who were independent operators. They both retired after two years, and I went completely on my own. I originated drilling prospects and turned them for cash and an override. After a few years, I set up Miramar Petroleum to drill and operate wells with a working interest. Although Miramar drills and operates wells in which I own an interest, the bulk of my work is in geology.

John Clanton – Geologist